John Riddell

June 16, 2008 -- Over the past decade, a new rise of mass struggles in Latin America
has sparked an encounter between revolutionists of that region and many
of those based in the imperialist countries. In many of these
struggles, as in Bolivia under the presidency of Evo Morales,
Indigenous peoples are in the lead.

Latin American revolutionists are enriching Marxism in the field of
theory as well as of action. This article offers some introductory
comments indicating ways in which their ideas are linking up with and
drawing attention to important but little-known aspects of Marxist
thought.

June 8, 2008 -- One of the most important developments in Cuban Marxism in recent years has been increased attention to the writings of Ernesto Che Guevara on the economics and politics of the transition to socialism.

A milestone in this process was the publication in 2006 by Ocean Press and Cuba's Centro de Estudios Che Guevara of Apuntes criticos a la economía política [Critical Notes on Political Economy], a collection of Che's writings from the years 1962 to 1965, many of them previously unpublished. The book includes a lengthy excerpt from a letter to Fidel Castro, entitled ``Some Thoughts on the Transition to Socialism''. In it, in extremely condensed comments, Che presented his views on economic development in the Soviet Union.[1]

In 1965, the Soviet economy stood at the end of a period of rapid growth that had brought improvements to the still very low living standards of working people. Soviet prestige had been enhanced by engineering successes in defence production and space exploration. Most Western observers then considered that it showed more dynamism than its US counterpart.

At that time, almost the entire Soviet productive economy was owned by the state. It was managed by a privileged bureaucracy that consolidated its control in the 1920s under the leadership of Joseph Stalin. Managers were rewarded on the basis of fulfilling production norms laid down from above; workers were commonly paid by the piece.

This compact book by Roberto Regalado, a veteran member of the Central
Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, strongly reaffirms the need for
revolution in Latin America and beyond.

Regalado, a section chief in the Cuban CP's Department of International
Relations, is anything but dogmatic. He is attentive to recent new trends in
Latin American economics and politics, and respectful toward the diverse
currents of socialist opinion. He stresses the importance of the new features
of Latin American social struggles: the role of peasants, the landless, indigenous
peoples, women, environmentalists and others.

But his careful and unpretentious analysis leads toward a striking
conclusion: only a revolutionary seizure of political power by the masses can
open the road to social progress south of the Rio Bravo and even within the
imperialist countries.

Advent of neoliberalism

In just 232 pages Regalado provides a handbook of Marxist politics,
outlining Marxism's basic anti-capitalist premise and examining closely the
evolution of revolutionary and reformist schools of thought through the 20th century.

When Bolivian President Evo Morales formally opened his country's constituent assembly on August 6, 2006, he highlighted the aspirations of Bolivia's indigenous majority as the central challenge before the gathering. The convening of the assembly, he said, represented a ``historic moment to refound our dearly beloved homeland Bolivia''. When Bolivia was created, in 1825-26, ``the originary indigenous movements'' who had fought for independence ``were excluded'' and subsequently discriminated against and looked down upon. But the ``great day has arrived today ... for the originary indigenous peoples''.[1]

During the preceding weeks, indigenous organisations had proposed sweeping measures to assure their rights, including guarantees for their languages, autonomy for indigenous regions and respect for indigenous culture and political traditions.

This movement extends far beyond Bolivia. Massive struggles based on indigenous peoples have shaken Ecuador and Peru, and the reverberations are felt across the western hemisphere. Measures to empower indigenous minorities are among the most prestigious achievements of the Bolivarian movement in Venezuela.